


New Home

by IcyScorpion



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Beatles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Gen, Hogwarts First Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 17:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9395585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyScorpion/pseuds/IcyScorpion
Summary: Eleven year old John Lennon is going to Hogwarts. He doesn't get why they have to take a train there when apparition is possible, but he doesn't really mind too much. Follows John during the train ride.





	

**Monday 1 September, 1952**

 

It was sweltering within King’s Cross station, and John was not only hot but nauseated. Though John doubted it would have mattered if they knew how hot it was going to be – Mimi would have insisted he wear the stupid black blazer and trousers anyhow. He glanced at his Aunt out of the corner of his eye. When he was certain she wasn’t looking he undid his tie and loosened his collar in rebellion.

 

Walking a few steps ahead of them was the jovial Mr. Powers. He attracted a lot of curious and at times downright dirty looks. It was because of his hair, you see. Mr. Powers had thick black hair. That in itself was nothing special, of course. But unlike most men his hair was long and drawn into a ponytail. John thought he suited the look. Mimi thought he looked ridiculous and had made her thoughts loud and clear several times over the summer.

 

“We’re nearly there, Mrs. Smith.” Mr. Powers said.

 

John continued to push his trolley onward and swallowed thickly when another wave of nausea rolled through him. It was stupid Mr. Powers fault he felt sick. Actually, it was Mimi’s fault for not wanting to stay in London for a few days. If she had agreed, they could have traveled by train and explored the city.

 

But no. Mimi wanted to get to London the quick way. And Mr. Powers, being a wizard, had been able to supply them with that fast method of travel. Apparition. John had never felt so claustrophobic in his life, despite the fact that it only lasted a few seconds. His breath still stank of sick.

 

Mimi made a sound of discontent as a few people turned to look rather pointedly at Mr. Powers and grumbled under her breath, but to John’s surprise she did her best to keep her thoughts to herself. The whole thing had been very hard on Mimi. In the beginning she had been one hundred and ten percent against John attending the school. He could still hear her shriek of fright and rage from that day when he put his mind to it.

 

They passed by platform nine when Mr. Powers stopped near a brick wall. All of sudden John felt awake and alert. Even his cat Alice seemed to sit at attention from within the carrier. Subconsciously he touched the pocket of his trousers where his wand was. Yes, it was all real, he reminded himself.

 

“This is it.” Mr. Powers turned around to face John. He smiled at him and nodded, saying, “Go on first, lad. Just as we discussed.”

 

John glanced at Mimi, who was glaring daggers at Mr. Powers and the brick wall. A thrill of excitement went through him. It was all a bit like his favourite book, wasn’t it? Except instead of falling through a looking glass he’d be sprinting through a wall. But like Alice he was about to embark on a fantastical journey in a magical and wacky world. Who knew what crazy things he would find?

 

With a wide grin he pushed his trolley toward the wall. His brain yelled at him that he was being a fool and braced for impact…

 

But there was none.

 

He looked back over his shoulder and saw a brick wall. John burst out laughing in delight and moved aside, not wanting anyone to crash into him. In front of him were hundreds upon hundreds of people. Yet they weren’t ordinary people, were they? He thought. They were witches and wizards and he, John Lennon, was one of them by bloody chance.

 

Mrrrow. John looked down at the Russian blue cat. “Cor Alice, it’s bloody brilliant innit?”

 

John drank in everything with hungry eyes. Children ran about the platform wearing long robes of every colour imaginable. A strange doglike animal with a forked tail chased after a ball that made funny noises every time it touched the ground. An old man with long white hair carried a snake across his shoulders and carried a stark white suitcase. A group of pretty girls nearby were giggling as they crowded around a magazine, the singer on the cover winking with a cheeky smile.

 

“John?” He looked up to see Mimi standing by his side. Her thin lips were drawn into a tight line. She placed a hand on his shoulder and eyed the people around the station with distaste. It was a wonder she didn’t say anything.

 

A loud whistle pierced the air. Mr. Powers checked his golden pocket watch. “Five minutes,” he said. “Better get yourself situated, lad. The Hogwarts Express leaves at eleven sharp.”

 

John nodded.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Powers.” Mimi said before John could even speak. She gave the man a short glance before turning to John.

 

Mimi wasn’t a very affectionate person, so when she pulled John into a hug he was a bit surprised, but he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her. He was going to miss her, strict rules sharp tongue and all. His eyes burned a bit but he refused to believe it to be tears. Something must have gotten into his eyes.

 

“You’d better work hard, young man.” She said in her usual no nonsense voice. John pulled out of the embrace and looked up at her. “If I hear that you’re getting into trouble, I’m pulling you right out, do you understand?”

 

His eyes widened. “I won’t, Aunt Mimi, I swear it to you.”

 

“See to it that you don’t.” A small smile formed on her lips. “Go on, then.”

 

He grinned and gave her one last hug and a “Love you, Mimi,” before pushing his trolley closer to the train. Looking about he could see that most students were in the process of boarding the Hogwarts Express. Once he reached the doors he parked his trolley once more. He lifted up his trunk with a grunt. Alice mewed from inside the carrier and he chuckled.

 

“I haven’t forgotten you, silly cat.” He grabbed the handle and hobbled onto the train. His trunk was heavier than he anticipated, but it was far too late for that. He knew that there were spells to make things float or weightless, but they were too advanced for him at the moment.

 

John was sure he was grinning like the Cheshire cat. Magic was real and he had a wand - a real wizard's wand! Ever since he bought it at Ollivanders’ he'd been practicing like a mad man. Mr. Powers had said students weren't allowed to practice magic at home over the summer, but whispered to John this didn't go into effect until after their first year at Hogwarts. After that, if he used any magic spell at home he'd get a letter. Twice and he'd face expulsion. 

 

There was no way he'd let himself get expelled. 

 

At the very back of the train John peered into one of the compartments. There were two boys sitting across from one another, laughing and having a lark. He slid the door open. Immediately the laughter ceased and the two looked at him. The dark haired one gave him a glance and schooled his features into a look of contempt. He huffed and turned his head away. His friend with the upturned nose merely looked bored.

 

What was their problem, he wondered. He hadn't even said a word to them and they were acting like he'd said their mums were ugly.

 

Maybe they could read minds? John shuddered. He didn't know if wizards could do that but he was going to find out.

 

"Hullo lads," John smiled, dragging his trunk forward. "Mind if I join the party?”

 

Upturned nose boy raised a blond eyebrow. "That depends."

 

John's smile disappeared. "Does it?"

 

"What's your surname?"

 

That threw him for a loop. For a moment John just looked at the boy. Blondie started scowling. "You going to answer or stare at me?"

 

"What's me surname got to do with anythin'?" he frowned.

 

The black haired boy snorted and looked at him again. "If he has to ask that then he's clearly mud, Julius."

 

"You're right," Julius said, nodding. He looked smug. John didn't understand what they were saying and what they had against him. He wanted to wipe that smug look off his face. "Look at him, Eros, the stupid thing is confused."

 

Eros laughed and Julius joined in. John narrowed his eyes at the boys. He opened his mouth to stay something nasty but remembering Mimi's words immediately shut it. The last thing he wanted was to get pulled out of Hogwarts when he hadn't even started. If he let the words dancing on his tongue escape then he'd get into a fight for sure.

 

A nasty smile on his face, John flipped them the bird and walked straight out of the compartment. He slammed the door shut, the two boy's laughter instantly muffled.

 

Another whistle pierced the air and the train began moving. John peered into the compartment across from the two arseholes and saw there was a lone boy in there. He sighed, hoping things went well this time.

 

He opened the door and dragged his trunk in. John decided not to even speak this time, not wanting any more conflict. He dropped the trunk in the corner next to the boy's and sat down with a sigh. Alice stuck her paw out of the barred cage and meowed. John smiled and touched it softly with a finger. She snatched it back and meowed.

 

John looked out the window and his smile vanished. They'd already passed the platform. He didn't get to wave goodbye to Aunt Mimi.

 

Staring out the window he couldn't help but think about his parents. It was something he'd tried to push out of his mind while at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Most of the children were there with their parents. Getting hugged and kissed goodbye by their mums. Why couldn't his parents be there, too?

 

John glanced at the boy sharing the compartment. His hair was thick and red and he had a rather long nose. Unlike John, he was already wearing his robes, but on him it looked natural. He was staring out the window, face impassive. On his lap was a magazine with moving pictures. John found the moving images utterly delightful and fascinated.

 

Feeling like having a chat, John decided to get to know the boy across from him.

 

“So,” John said and the boy turned to look at him. “Are you a first year, too?”

 

“Yeah,” he nodded. His brown eyes looked at him in curiosity. “I’m surprised you brought a cat. Everyone’s got toads with them these days.”

 

“Why’s that?” John asked, flummoxed at the thought of bringing a slimy amphibian to school. “Cats are so much better.”

 

“Dunno, couldn’t say. Personally I prefer owls.” He motioned at the owl cage on the seat beside him. Inside was a slumbering tawny owl. “They’re much more… well, useful I guess.”

 

“Right, delivering the post and all.” John nodded in understanding. “Makes sense. But toads… how boring.”

 

“I thought so, too which is why I didn’t get one. My dad kept trying to convince me at the pet shop but I wasn’t having any of that.” He replied with a slight smirk. “Say, what was your name again?”

 

“I didn’t say, but I’m John.” He said.

 

“I’m Fabian.” Fabian replied. “What house do you think you’ll be in, John?”

 

“Dunno where I’ll end up, but Gryffindor seems like the best house.” John said.

 

That seemed to be the right thing to say because Fabian’s eyes lit up. “It sure is! My family have all been in Gryffindor – well, except one of my Aunts, but she’s not blood related really so it doesn’t count.” Fabian then proceeded to tell John all that he knew about the house of the lions, and John was enraptured by the stories he told. Every passing minute John grew more impatient about arriving at Hogwarts.

 

“Why do we have to take a bloody train to Hogwarts anyway when wizards can just apparate places?” John asked. “Not that I like apparating – terrible, that.” He gave an exaggerated shudder to drive his point home.

 

“Tradition,” Fabian answered simply. “They’ve been doing it for about a hundred years now, I think. Probably will continue doing it for another hundred years.”

 

“But what about the people who live in Scotland?”

 

Fabian snorted. “They must think it a stupid waste of time.”

 

“Which it is,” John pointed out.

 

“Sure is.” Fabian was in front of his owl’s cage, holding a treat through the metal bars. “Come on, Squeaker, take the treat.”

 

His owl squawked, eyes partially closed, and nipped Fabian’s fingers. “Ow, you little-”

 

Just then the door slid open. A woman stood in the doorway, pushing a trolley along. “Would you dears like anything from the trolley?”

 

“Ooh,” Fabian perked up, owl forgotten. “Do you have chocolate frogs?”

 

An hour later found Fabian and John with full bellies and surrounded by chocolate frog wrappers. The two were sat next to each other looking at Fabian’s magazine. There were lots of funny cartoons that had John cackling with mirth and interesting information about magical toys and spells to clean your socks.

 

“I want to learn how to make my drawings move.” John declared.

 

“Well, Hogwarts has got a huge library. There has to be a few books on art related magic there.”

 

Huge library? That sounded like something John would like to explore. He made a mental note to investigate as soon as possible.

 

Time passed quickly once Fabian brought out his favourite comic books and before John knew it they had arrived at the station. After quickly changing into his school robes he and Fabian left the train and followed after the Gamekeeper along with the other first years. It was dark out and the air was cool, unlike earlier at King’s Cross Station.

 

Students chattered around him, excitement evident in their voices. John was just as excited, really, but tried to play it cool. He kept his hands in the pocket of his robes and wore a bored look. But his façade was broken when they reached the edge of a grand lake. The students oohed and awed, John along with them. In the distance was the castle he would be living in for the next seven years. Warm yellow lights glowed beautiful and welcoming.

 

“All right children, we’ll be going to Hogwarts by boat. No more than four students per boat, otherwise it’ll overturn. Let’s get going.” The Gamekeeper said. John couldn’t remember what the old man’s name was, but he was sure he’d find out eventually.

 

John climbed into the nearest boat, Fabian behind him. A short and squat girl joined them, along with a girl with a very gaunt face and dull grey eyes. Seconds later the rowboats began moving. For a split second John had wondered where the paddles were and nearly laughed out loud at how stupid he was being. Other students shouted out in surprise while a few made gleeful sounds.

 

The journey across the dark lake became rather quiet. John, like other students, was simply looking at the castle and wondering what would come next. Fabian told him there was a welcoming feast and a ceremony where students were sorted into their houses. Tomorrow classes would begin, and John was looking forward to learning as much as possible. He glanced at Fabian and the red head met his eye. They both grinned. John turned back to look at the castle, getting ever closer. Within minutes he would step inside his new home.

 

John simply couldn’t wait.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this several months ago and decided to post it for kicks. Also Fabian is meant to be Fabian Prewett, Molly's older brother. 
> 
> I'm currently working on a much bigger project revolving around The Beatles at Hogwarts that is going to take a very long time to finish haha what have I gotten myself into. I'd love some constructive criticism on my writing and any Americanisms I may have slipped in there. Thank you for reading! :)


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